Is Seltzer Water Like LaCroix Actually Healthy?

As popular as LaCroix is—and people are downing seltzer from those kitschy, pastel-colored cans at a rate of around 170 million gallons a year—chances are, you’re not pounding bubbly water while on a bike. In fact, most athletes aren’t guzzling fizzy drinks that often (unless it’s a classic Coke to ward off a bonk or a bubbly water at the end of a long ride).

But sparkling waters, such as LaCroix, Topo Chico, and Perrier, are a fun way to shake up the monotony of flat water without introducing a ton of sugar or other questionable ingredients into your diet. Even the CDC recommends drinking sparkling water as a healthy alternative to soda and other high-calorie beverages.

Is being deemed a healthy alternative to sugary sodas enough to make seltzer a healthy hydration choice, though? And do all those negative reports about LaCroix hold up? Here’s what you need to know.

Is Seltzer Even Hydrating?

Every athlete knows the importance of hydrating—before, during, and after a ride. With all those bubbles, are LaCroix and other sparkling waters as good as flat water? The short answer: Yes. “Like plain water, it’s calorie-free (or very low calorie when flavors are added), it’s equally hydrating (or rehydrating) on a volume basis to plain water, and it tends to be more filling (due to its accompanying gas),” explains M. Ramin Modabber, M.D., the chief medical officer of the AMGEN Tour of California.

When the American Journal of Clinical Nutritioncompared still, sparkling, and other popular drinks (cola, juices, beer, coffee, tea and milk), they found that there was no difference between them in terms of hydration. And another study comparing the drinking habits of carbonated water consumers and non-carbonated water consumers found that those who drank bubbly water actually had a slightly higher total intake of water—so it just might help you drink a little more.

If your choice is between bubbly water or nothing, pop that can—seltzer is just as hydrating as H2O, and it’ll do the job if you need to hydrate.

But Is Seltzer Like LaCroix Healthy?

Seltzer in its most basic form is just tap water plus carbonation. NBD. But flavored seltzers—like LaCroix’s pamplemousse (grapefruit) flavor—are a little more complicated. After all, something needs to give it that flavor. On LaCroix’s website, the brand credits its flavors to “all-natural...essences or oils derived from the named fruit, i.e., lime/lime oils.” Otherwise, the company has been notoriously mum about what’s actually in its drinks.

A recent lawsuit, though, claimed LaCroix uses synthetic ingredients, like limonene, which can cause kidney toxicity and tumors, and linalool, which is also used in cockroach insecticide. But here’s the deal: Limonene is classified by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a “naturally occurring chemical,” and generally recognized by the FDA as safe; it’s only been linked to kidney toxicity in male rats. And linalool, according to the NIH, “is a naturally occurring terpene alcohol chemical found in many flowers and spice plants.”

In October 2018, an International Standards Organization-accredited lab tested ingredients provided by LaCroix and confirmed that they were derived from natural sources, such as fruit. “The fact that there’s a plant-derived ingredient in seltzer that also happens to be in an insecticide does not make the ingredient a problem,” says Lauren Antonucci, R.D.N., a nutrition consultant for the New York Road Runners and director of Nutrition Energy. “If we look at the science, there’s nothing to be worried about.”

That said, if you’re concerned, you can always replace flavored seltzers like LaCroix with plain bubbly waters or simply flavor it yourself with slices of fresh fruit such as lemon, lime, or grapefruit.

What About Other Seltzers?

Let’s go back to chemistry class real quick: Carbonation—what makes a seltzer fizzy—occurs when carbon dioxide dissolves into bicarbonates and carbonic acid. The only word you really need to pay attention to there is acid.

“The pH in seltzer is not quite neutral, and the more you add into these products, the more acidic they can become,” says Antonucci. “Flavors can add citric acid and more carbonic acid, and eventually the acidity can approach close to that of a soda.”

All that acid isn’t necessarily great for your teeth and bones over the long-term, which is why seltzer gets a bit of a bad rap as being “unhealthy.” But it’s not something to stress over. In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers detected no difference in terms of bone density loss between participants who drank 1 liter of carbonated water a day and those who drank 1 liter of still water a day over the course of 8 weeks.

Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition proved that carbonation did not leach calcium from bones. And while additional research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition linked cola to lower hip bone density in women, other carbonated drinks like seltzer didn’t have the same affect.

So, Should You Drink It?

Sure! Seltzer spices up plain ol’ tap water and might just inspire you to be better hydrated—and what athlete doesn’t want that? Maybe don’t drink it right before or during a ride, though. “Seltzer’s gas can be immensely disruptive before or during exercise due to gastrointestinal bloating, belching, cramping, etc.,” says Modabber. Not exactly things you want to deal with when you’re in the middle of a ride, right?

As for a refreshing fizzy drink post-ride, you’re all good. Except, remember this: LaCroix, Topo Chico, and other bubbly waters don’t contain sodium or carbohydrates, which are a crucial part of refueling after a workout. “Don’t be fooled by the fact that bubbles taste yummy or that you thought it filled you up,” says Antonucci. “You still need to replenish the salt and the carbs that you burned while out cycling for hours.”

Bottom line: Seltzer is a great substitute for sodas and other meal-time drinks, says Modabber, but probably a poor option before, during, or after strenuous exercise.

Ashley MateoAshley Mateo is an experienced fitness reporter, writer, and editor who regularly interviews pro athletes, elite trainers, and nutrition experts; she has held staff positions at Shape, Refinery29, and SELF, and her work has appeared in Runner's World, Bicycling, Health, the Wall Street Journal, and more.

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